The thesis problematizes the necessity to encourage critical thinking among students. The aim of the thesis is to show that the interpretation of a literary text can function as an encouragement of critical thinking in literature classes, as well as in other teaching subjects. The term critical thinking is analyzed in three elaborate chapters. There, starting from the broadest definition of the term in philosophy, through its integration into education, we gradually come to its application in literature classes. The first chapter of the thesis presents a theoretical starting point in studying critical thinking, a term still lacking in precision and clarity. The second chapter discusses the necessity of critical thinking in education. A special emphasis is placed on the ways in which critical thinking is employed in practice and the methods teachers use to encourage it. The third chapter is dedicated to a practical application of the encouragement and development of critical thinking on the example of the modernist novel Stranger by Albert Camus. A critical interpretation of the novel enables a deeper analysis, understanding and contemplation of the central topics of the text – human alienation and meaninglessness of life. After a brief overview of the aforementioned chapters, a conclusion will be offered which argues that every reader who engages critically with a literary text, by drawing on his own opinions and values, participates in the creation of the very text.